uniqFEED partners with the Austrian Football Association to bring virtual advertising to the ÖFB Cup for the first time in the upcoming Grazer Derby
uniqFeed will provide its virtual goal side insert solution to sporteo and the ÖFB, working with broadcaster ORF, for the Grazer AK and SK Sturm Graz ‘Grazer Derby’
uniqFeed has been chosen by the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) and international sports management agency sporteo to provide its virtual advertising technology and services for the upcoming football match between Grazer AK and SK Sturm Graz, a regular clash of the historic rivals dubbed the ‘Grazer Derby’.
The match will take place on 2 November in the Merkur Arena and will mark the first time that virtual advertising will be used in an ÖFB Cup game.
uniqFeed will provide its virtual goal side insert solution to sporteo and the ÖFB, working with broadcaster ORF to integrate the technology. Goal side inserts, which in their physical form are generally referred to as ‘cam carpets’, are digital insertions of virtual content onto the pitch surface on either side of the goal net at each end of the pitch. It will also digitally overlay existing physical cam carpets with virtual content, visually enhancing the appearance and messaging to enable increased return on investment for club sponsors.
The company will operate on-site at the venue, creating a virtualised duplication of the world feed with sponsorship content inserted digitally that will be broadcast to the domestic market. Its solution has been selected in order to showcase the potential commercial opportunities offered by virtual advertising technology to sporteo and the ÖFB’s commercial partners. Utilising virtual advertising content also removes potential trip hazards for players along with being friendlier to the environment and leaner on event logistics.
Physical cam carpets have been used for decades and are typically printed on weighted tarpaulins. These are expensive to produce, heavy, inconvenient to transport and result in unnecessary waste, becoming redundant when sponsor agreements or marketing campaigns come to an end. With virtual advertising technology, content can be digitally inserted onto the playing surface and can take any format or display any branded messaging required by the sponsor. Virtual content can also be altered at short notice and can also feature animations and rotations of multiple brands in those positions in the same match.
Wolfgang Hartter, managing director at sporteo international sport management, said about the partnership: “We are delighted to be working with uniqFeed for this event, marking the first time virtual advertising has been used in a game of the UNIQA ÖFB Cup. Virtual advertising has allowed us to increase the amount of sponsorship inventory within the goal area and maximize brand exposure for our commercial partners, while ensuring player safety and allowing for commercial creativity and a maximised ROI.
uniqFeed CCO Tom Huston, says: “We are delighted to be partnering with sporteo and the ÖFB to showcase uniqFeed’s breakthrough virtual advertising solution for goal side inserts and overlay in football. uniqFeed’s dedicated team of developers has worked hard over the last two years, to create the best virtual advertising solution on the market for football clients.”
The Grazer Derby will be broadcast live on 2 November at 8.30pm local time on ORF 1